Feng Shui: Wind and Water

1. Five Elements Feng Shui Patti Farley Feng Shui Consultant Certificate of Higher Diploma, FSRC Phone: 512-470-7400 patti@elements-five.com www.elements-five.com 木 火 土 金 水 Feng Shui: Wind and Water Austin Junior League February 26, 2007 1

2. What does Feng Shui mean? • The term Feng Shui (厙ホ) originated from the expression “Qi (氣) is dispersed by the wind (厙), and retained by the water (ホ).” • Feng Shui is the study of how to prevent Qi from being dispersed by wind and how to use water to retain it for our benefit. 2

3. Where did Feng Shui originate? • Feng Shui originated more than 6000 years ago as a combination of town-planning, environmental improvement, architecture and interior decoration. • Feng Shui masters of ancient China developed mathematical formulas for locating dwellings, considering • Mountains, rivers, wind, and vegetation • Direction and time of year • This is space-time Feng Shui (Xuan Kong Fei Xing). 3

4. Balance: Yin and Yang • Balancing the ever-changing yin and yang characteristics is an important part of Feng Shui. 4

5. Extremes of Yin or Yang • Fast, straight roads or walkways • Long straight and often dark hallways within homes or offices • Any type of really strong qi, such as a highway overpass or even an ocean view, if not properly handled, can bring overwhelming qi • Any type of really dark space or with too much vegetation, overhanging trees, dark corners, no sunlight • House right on top of a windy mountain, or the opposite, at the bottom of a flood plain or in a swamp; house on the edge of a cliff • Homes and many businesses located next to graveyards, slaughterhouses, hospitals or firehouses with sirens blaring, funeral parlors • Areas that are unsightly, unclean or cluttered 5

6. Qi (Chi) • The Chinese word for vital energy or life force. It is pronounced “chee”. It is a term that does not translate well into one English word. • Chinese thought does not distinguish between matter and energy, but qi is considered matter on the verge of becoming energy, or energy at the point of materializing. It is supposed to flow through the entire universe, including the human body. • It is the matrix out of which matter and energy are formed, so that it connects and animates everything in the universe. 6

7. Qi and the Seasons • Feng Shui uses the five elements to create a smooth flow of Qi • The five types of Qi dominate at different times. 7

8. Properties of Qi • Each of the energies has characteristic properties 8

9. Shapes and Colors of Qi • When Qi is in the form of matter, the shape and color will determine its energy: 9

10. Yang Yin 9 6 TaiYang XiaoYin XiaoYang TaiYin Summer4 + 9 Spring3 + 8 Autumn2 + 7 Winter1 + 6 QianHeaven16 MetalFather DuiMarsh27 MetalYoungest Daughter LiFire39 FireMiddle Daughter ZhenThunder43 WoodEldest Son XunWind54 WoodEldest Daughter KanWater61 WaterMiddleSon KenMountain78 EarthYoungestson KunEarth82 EarthMother Yin, Yang, and Qi • This diagram shows the binary relationship between Yin and Yang, and Qi 10

11. The Three Cycles • The enhancing cycle explains how one type of Qi can help another type to exhibit its quality and ability. • The reverse of the enhancing cycle is the weakening cycle. Wood helps burning, but in the meantime it loses energy. It is weakened. • The controlling cycle explains how one type of Qi can control and suppress another type. 11

12. Tangible and Intangible Qi • Qi exists in both tangible and intangible forms. • The arrangement of objects, their color, the amount of light in a room, are aspects of the tangible Qi. Other important aspects are external features, such as mountains, rivers, trees, the slope of the land • The intangible Qi is something that our five senses cannot perceive • Even if a house appears to have good Feng Shui, people can still have misfortune. In this case, the intangible form of the Qi of the house must account for the misfortune and must be addressed. • In order to address the intangible Qi, Chinese Feng Shui masters have developed mathematical formulas, based on space and time which give precise and unique Qi maps for a given space. 12

13. “Not” Feng Shui • Pseudo-Feng Shui has become a common practice, especially in the West. • This simplistic method assumes that the energy pattern of every home is the same. • It assumes that prosperity is in the far left corner and romance is in the far right corner of every home and office. • Does this make sense? Is every home the same? 13

14. “Not” Feng Shui “Cures” • Mandarin ducks • Bamboo Flutes • Ba Gua Mirrors • Wealth Ships 14

15. Flying Stars Feng Shui • The energies of a space are determined by the facing and sitting directions and the time of construction. • The direction of the facing and sitting is determined using the loupan. • This information yields a precise Qi map that is specific to a space. 15

16. Qi Map • Before a house is built, time qi and space qi meet on the surface of the earth. 16

17. Qi Map • A human building a house at a certain point in space and time creates the type of energy that we call “flying stars”. Upon completion of the house, the time star is created. • A “star” chart can be drawn for the house according to the sitting and facing directions of the house, which can be used to determine placement of any needed Feng Shui adjustments. . 17

18. Adjusting the Qi • Some items that may be suggested to adjust the Qi of a home include water features, chiming clocks and calabashes for particular areas. • The calabash, or Chinese medicine gourd, may look funny, but it is a miracle worker. • The ancient Chinese carried medicine in these gourds and left them at the patient’s bedside-because they work wonders. • Colors and shapes are also used. 18

19. The Ideal Home • The back is supported by the “black turtle” or mountain to protect from invasion and strong winds, to keep the qi from dispersing. • The front is open, clear and level (the Ming Tang) to allow the qi to linger and circulate, with a small low wall or mound, called the phoenix or red bird, to retain the qi, and a body of water or a roadway beyond to bring the qi to the site. • The green dragon, to the left looking out from the front, is a wall or land feature slightly higher than the Phoenix. • The white tiger, to the right as look out from the front, is slightly higher than the green dragon. • The home is then protected and supported on three sides and open in front. • Consideration of these external features is extremely important consideration in purchasing a new home 19

20. Large power lines nearby homes Tall overpowering buildings over a much smaller home or office Poison arrows-sharp right angles pointed at entrances or where sleeping, resting or studying. Windows behind the head of beds or behind desks Desks placed where the back is to the door Desks, important chairs or beds placed in the flow of qi of the doorway Sharp descent down driveway pointed straight at home House on a T-junction or Y-junction Tall tree directly in front of entrance, say within 20 feet Beams or indented ceilings edges over beds, sitting areas or desks Roads both directly behind and in front of a home. Open flat land with no support behind the home or office Mirrors opposite the entrance to home Bathrooms in the center of the house Mirrors in a bedroom reflecting the bed. Features That Can Cause Problems 20

21. A Famous Local Poison Arrow 21

22. Pay Particular Attention To • Water features • Large amounts of the color Red • Water and Fire are very powerful elements. 22

23. Benefits of Feng Shui • If done properly, the results from Flying Stars Feng Shui can be amazing. • There is a better balance of work and play. There is sufficient money and your health improves. Relationships smooth out. • It gives you peace of mind. • When your home is properly harmonized for your particular needs, it brings health, prosperity, and abundance and guides you toward your true purpose in life. • This is the basis of FengShui. We use the tangible, what can be seen, such as color, shape, water, landforms, and directions, to shape and direct the intangible. 23

24. Ming Gua • The Ming Gua is your guardian star, associated with one of the elements and one of the trigrams. • It determines your best sleeping, working, and studying directions, and is one element among many used to determine whether or not a home is suitable for you. • What is your Ming Gua? 24

25. Calculating your Ming Gua Add all four digits of the birth year, including the digits to represent the century, and reduce to a single digit. Males subtract the result from 11 Females add the result to 4 Examples: If the result of your calculations is 5, then Males use 2 Females use 8 25

26. Ming Gua and Directions 26

27. Summary • Feng Shui uses the tangible to direct the intangible. • When you make recommended changes according to the Flying Stars energies of your home, you will experience what Feng Shui can do to improve your life. • If a consultant does NOT consider the birthdates of the residents, the date of construction, and the facing direction of the home, any recommendations may cause harm. • Flying Stars Feng Shui creates an individualized Qi map of a space, allowing the appropriate actions to be taken to balance the Qi. • Remember, good Feng Shui is always beautiful…. 27

28. If you have further questions, please contact me……………. 28